Jesco White dances into Capone's

staff report
•
Aug 26, 2011 at 4:03 AM

Best known as “The Dancing Outlaw,” Jesco White will bring his subtle mix of tap and clog dancing to Capone’s, 227 E. Main St., Johnson City, on Saturday night. Also performing will be Dan Deel, Pick up the Snake and The Tremors. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the d o o r. White was born in Bandytown, a tiny community located in the Appalachian Mountains of Boone County, W.Va. Outfitted in the shoes that were handed down to him from his father, White practices a style of dancing that is a mix of tap and clog, derived from his native Appalachian region. White has been the subject of three American documentary films that detail his desire to follow in his famous father’s footsteps while trying to overcome depression, drug addiction and the poverty that afflicts rural Appalachia. As the popularity of the mini-documentary “The Dancing Outlaw” grew, so did the demand for White’s performances. Many became aware of him through third-generation VCR tapes that were copied and handed off in a series of unimaginable successions that made him a cult icon. He has been linked to many popular artists through song. Big and Rich mention him by name in the single “Comin’ to Your City.” Hank Williams III wrote the song “Legend of D Ray White,” which honors the cultural significance of White’s father. It also mentions White, as well as another legendary Boone County artist, Hasil Adkins, and White’s sister, Mamie White. On the heels of the newly acclaimed feature documentary “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia,” White is once again poised to captivate, and he is hitting the road to promote the White family’s lifestyle of hillbilly hijinks and tales of drugs, guns and fighting — all part of a day in the life for the martyr of mountain tap dancing. For tickets or more information, call (423) 928-2295 or visit www.caponesjc.com .Contributed photo